A “coquerel’s sifaka” baby (propithecus coquereli), born at the Bronx Zoo, has made its public debut.

According to Bronx Zoo officials, the birth is the result of the hard work and husbandry expertise of the zoo’s keepers and will be featured on this week’s episode of Animal Planet’s THE ZOO. The story follows the adult sifakas as they are introduced for the first time in hopes that they will eventually mate. The baby is a male and was born over the summer.

The Bronx Zoo breeds sifakas as part of its Species Survival Plan (SSP) program, a cooperative breeding program administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to maintain genetic diversity and demographic stability in zoo populations. Six species of lemurs, including coquerel’s sifakas, can be seen in the zoo’s “Madagascar!” exhibit. Exhibit times for the baby may vary as it continues to acclimate and bond with its mother.

Bronx Zoo officials said, like all lemur species [other than in a zoo environment] coquerel’s sifakas are found only on the island nation of Madagascar. They said the species is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Numbers in the wild are decreasing due to deforestation and other human activities.

A coquerel’s sifaka baby, born over the summer at Bronx Zoo, has made its public debut. Video courtesy of © WCS/Bronx Zoo

THE ZOO, now in its fifth season, airs on Animal Planet on Saturdays 9pm ET/PT and is the first series to go behind the scenes at the world-famous Bronx Zoo. The powerful stories focus on the animals, their keepers, and the zoo’s contribution to conserving wildlife around the globe.

Bronx Zoo, located on 265 acres of hardwood forest in the Bronx, opened on Nov. 8, 1899. According to zoo officials, it is world-renowned for its leadership in the areas of animal welfare, husbandry, veterinarian care, education, science and conservation.

The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is the flagship park of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) which manages the world’s largest network of urban wildlife parks including the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium.

The society’s officials said curators and animal care staff work to save, propagate, and sustain populations of threatened and endangered species, and have educated and inspired more than 400 million visitors at its zoos and aquarium since its opening. Collectively, the zoos host approximately 4 million guests at their parks each year, including about a half-million students annually.

Bronx Zoo officials said the zoo is the largest youth employer in the borough of the Bronx. According to its officials, it provides opportunity and helps transform lives in one of the most under-served communities in the nation. It is the subject of THE ZOO, a docu-series aired world-wide on Animal Planet.